Magnetic safety feature for cookware and cooking stoves

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices for securing the bottom of an item of cookware to the burner of a stove top by use of magnetism. The magnet(s) may be permanent magnets or electromagnets. The cookware may comprise a permanent magnet disposed on or in the base of the cookware. The burner comprises a magnetic material such as steel or iron. The magnetic material may be in the grate of the cook top, in the electric coil of an electric burners in the surface of a vitroceramic or smooth-top stove top, or other component of the cook top in close proximity to the bottom of the cookware when it is on the cooking surface. The magnetic source prevents the cookware from being accidentally knocked off the cook top.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/467,856 filed Aug. 28, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S.application Ser. No. 10/862,979, filed Jun. 8, 2004 (now U.S. Pat. No.7,135,658, issued Nov. 14, 2006), the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference in the their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to cookware and moreparticularly to devices for preventing stove top accidents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cooking stoves, or “ranges” as they are sometimes called, generallycomprise a plurality of heating elements, either gas or electricburners, positioned at openings in a generally flat, top surface of thestove. The burners produce heat for heating the contents of a cookingvessel (cookware). Commonly, a grate is positioned over each burner forsupporting the cookware over the burner when cooking. The grate usuallyrests in a depression or opening in the cook top. Many examples ofcookware commonly used on a stove consist of a container portion and ahandle extending outward from the container. A more recent innovationinvolves vitroceramic or smooth-top stoves which have burners mountedbeneath a substantially flat cooking surface which extends across most,or all, of the cook top.

While cooking stoves are very useful appliances, they also represent asignificant danger and are the source of many accidents, including burnsand in worst cases, fires. Many of these accidents are caused by thetipping over of cookware on a stove-top causing spilling or splatteringof hot contents. If bumped hard enough, the cookware can be knockedcompletely off the stove top onto the floor. The risk of tip or bumpingcookware is exacerbated by the handles which extend out from mostcookware used on stoves.

Cookware holding devices for securing cookware on a stove top have beenpreviously described. For example, a stove top pan holding apparatus isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,037, issued Feb. 11, 2003, to Munoz.The pan holder apparatus comprises a fastening means for securing theholder to the stove and a pan holder having a plurality of fasteningassemblies for releasably holding the handle of a pan. Several other panholding devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,445, issued Nov.19, 1996, to Kozdas; U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,181, issued Jun. 6, 1981, toSaga; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,343, issued May 22, 1979, to Hartman.Alternative to devices which hold the cookware, guards or shields forpreventing children from reaching cookware on a stove top and forblocking splashing, spilling or splattering from the cookware have beendescribed. More specifically, the following patents describe variousdevices for blocking access to the stove top and for preventing burnsfrom splattering oil, grease, water, food particles, and so on: U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,155,343; 4,314,543; 4,517,955; 4,836,181; and 4,934,333.

These previously known safety devices for preventing stove top accidentsare complicated, awkward and inconvenient to use, and interfere with themanipulation of the cookware while cooking.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved safety device for stovetops which overcomes the deficiencies of previous devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The stove top safety feature of the present invention comprises methodsand devices for securing the bottom of an item of cookware to the burnerof a stove top by use of magnetism. The magnet(s) may be permanentmagnets or electromagnets.

The cookware may comprise a permanent magnet disposed on or in the baseof the cookware. The burner comprises a magnetic material such as steelor iron. The magnetic material may be in the grate of the cook top, inthe electric coil of an electric burner, in the surface of a smooth-topstove top, or any other component of the cook top which is in closeproximity to the bottom of the cookware when it is placed on the cookingsurface. When the cookware is placed on the stove top, the magneticfield of the permanent magnet creates a force on the magnetic materialtending to bias the cookware against the stove top, thereby securing thecookware to the cook top.

Alternatively, the magnet may be disposed in the cook top of the stovewhile the cookware comprises a magnetic material in or on its base. Themagnet may be a permanent magnet or it may be an electromagnet. If it isan electromagnet, an electric current is applied to create the magneticfield. Again, the magnetic field of the magnet creates a force on themagnetic material in the cookware base biasing the cookware against thestove top.

It should be understood that both the cookware and the cook top maycomprise magnets, so long as the polarity of the magnets is configuredso that the magnets attract each other rather repel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking stove and item of cookwareaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of one of the heatingstations of the cooking stove of FIG. 1 for a gas stove.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of one of the heatingstations of the cooking stove of FIG. 1 for an electric stove.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of one of the heatingstations of the cooking stove of FIG. 1 for an electric stove having asmooth top cook top.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to FIG. 1, a cooking stove 10 and cooking pot 12 according tothe present invention are shown. It is understood that the cooking pot12 may be any type of cooking vessel including a pot, pan, bowl, eachwith or without one or more handles 13. The cooking stove 10 comprises acook top 14 and a plurality of heating stations 16 each positioned at anopening in the cook top 14. Each heating station 16 has a heatingelement 19 covered by a grate 18.

The heating elements 19 of the cooking stove 10 may be gas burners,electric burners or other suitable heat source now known or developed inthe future. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of oneof the heating stations 16 for a stove 10 having gas burners. Theheating element 19 comprises a gas burner assembly 20. The gas burnerassembly 20 includes a gas line 22 connected to a burner 24 having aplurality of orifices 26. The gas burner also has a starter 28 which maybe a pilot light, flint or other source of spark or heat for lightingthe gas burner 20.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of one of theheating stations 16 for a stove 10 having electric burners. The heatingelement 19 comprises an electric heating coil 30. The electric heatingcoil 30 is connected to electrical leads 32 which are in turn connectedto a source of electric power such as an electrical wall outlet. In use,the cooking pot 12 may be placed directly on the heating coil 30 or theheating coil may be covered by a protective cover or grate 34 or even asmooth-top cook top 35 as shown in FIG. 4.

In order to secure the cooking pot 12 to the heating station 16 toprevent the pot 12 from tipping or sliding, the cooking pot 12, theheating station 16, or both, are provided with a magnetic field source40. The magnetic field source 40 may be one or more permanent magnets orelectromagnets. In the case where only one of the cooking pot 12 or theheating station 16 is provided with a magnetic field source 40, theother feature is provided with a magnetizable element 42. Themagnetizable element 42 is made of a magnetic material such that in thepresence of a magnetic field the magnetic material is magnetizedcreating a force tending to pull the magnetizable element 42 toward themagnetic field source 40. In the case where both the cooking pot 12 andthe heating station 16 are provided with a magnetic field source 40, thepolarity of the magnetic field sources 40 must be configured so thatthey attract each other rather than repel, i.e. the north pole of one ofthe field sources 40 must be positioned toward the south pole of theother field source 40.

FIG. 2 illustrates a magnetic safety feature according to the presentinvention in which the cooking pot 12 is provided with a magnetic fieldsource 40 and the heating station comprises a magnetic material. Thebase 42 of the cooking pot 12 has a multi-layer construction with themagnetic field source 40 encapsulated between the bottom surface 46 ofthe base 42 and the inside bottom 48 of the pot 12. The cooking pot 12may be constructed of stainless steel, glass, tempered glass, aluminumor any other suitable material. The grate 18 is made of a magnetizablematerial such as steel or iron. When the cooking pot 12 is placed ontothe grate 18, the magnetic field of the magnetic field source 40 createsa force on the magnetizable material of the grate 18 tending to pull thepot 12 against the grate 18, thereby securing the pot 18 to the cook top14. The force holding the pot 12 to the grate 18 helps prevent the pot12 from sliding or tipping if the pot 12 or its handle 13 isinadvertently bumped. Alternatively, the grate 18 could be made with orprovided with a magnetic field source 40, and the base 42 of the cookingpot 12 could be provided with or made from a magnetizable material.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, a magnetic safety feature of thepresent invention will be described for a cooking stove 10 havingelectric burners. The cooking pot 12 is identical to the cooking pot 12described in the previous paragraph. The heating coil 30, the protectivecover or grate 34 and/or the smooth-top cook top 35 are made of, or areprovided with, a magnetizable material. For example, the smooth top cooktop 35 may be a multi-layer construction in which the areas around eachheating station 16 are provided with a layer of magnetizable material 50between an upper layer 52 and a lower layer 54. The upper layer 52 andlower layer 54 may be formed of glass, metal or other suitableheat-resistant material. In an alternative embodiment, the heating coil30, the protective cover or grate 34 and/or the smooth-top cook top 35may be provided with a magnetic field source 40 and the cooking pot 12the base 42 of the cooking pot 12 could be provided with or made from amagnetizable material.

Accordingly, a new and improved stove top safety feature comprisingmethods and devices for securing an item of cookware to a heatingstation of a stove top by use of a magnetic field.

While the present invention has been fully described above withparticularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed tobe the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart that many modifications thereof may be made without departing fromthe principles and concepts set forth herein. Hence, the proper scope ofthe present invention should be determined only by the broadestinterpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalents.

1. An item of cookware for use on a cooking stove having a cook tophaving a magnetizable material upon which cooking vessels are placed,comprising: a base comprising a bottom outer surface and a cookingsurface disposed above said bottom outer surface, said bottom outersurface being configured to rest on the cook top; and a magnetic fieldsource disposed on or in said base, said magnetic field source producinga magnetic field which creates a force on said magnetizable materialwhich is strong enough to hold said cooking vessel against a cookingsurface with sufficient force to prevent said cookware from beingaccidentally bumped off said cooking surface, said magnetic field sourcebeing movable relative to said bottom outer surface to adjust thestrength of the magnetic field at the location of the bottom outersurface.
 2. The cookware of claim 1 wherein said magnetic field sourceis disposed between said bottom outer surface and said cooking surface.3. The cookware of claim 1 wherein said magnetic field source is apermanent magnet.
 4. The cookware of claim 1 wherein said magnetic fieldsource is an electromagnet.
 5. The cookware of claim 2 wherein saidwall, said base is made of stainless steel.